June 2022 | CASTING STORIES | THE ZINE by Casting Society

KARLEE FOMALONT CASTING STORIES 2022-2023Election for yournewBoardofDirectors Sleepsoutforacause& expectsacastingwinatthe OSCARSwithin5to10years! MEET THE CANDIDATES THE ZINE | JUNE 2022 Introducingournewestprogram gradslookingforwork! TRAINING & EDUCATION CASTING SOCIETY

EVERY ISSUE T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Editor's Note 10 CSA in the NEWS 06 ON THE COVER KARLEE FOMALONT | MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 03 BOARD ELECTIONS '22 '23: MEET THE CANDIDATES 08 CASTING STORIES 2 TRAINING & EDUCATION PROGRAM | NEWEST GRADS 07

/ BY APRIL GRIER

karlee fomalont

How did you decide to switch from acting to casting?

When she's not gracing red carpets and front row at fashion week, associate Karlee Fomalont, leads with kindness, sleeps out for a cause, and expects an OSCAR for casting in 5 to 10 years

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According to your IMDB bio, your background as an actor eased your transition into casting. What tips can you offer to aspiring casting directors like myself who don't have a background in acting? Whats so cool about casting is everyone comes at it from different backgrounds Rori [Bergman], who I work with, was an English and Directing major, my associate friend Dayna Katz majored in Media and Communication Studies, and Erica Hart went to Tisch Film School

Casting really is a team effort, and your background makes your approach unique and valuable and helps round out the other skills brought by the rest of the casting team As you spend time working with actors in the room you develop your own language I feel very lucky to come from an acting background because it’s given me a shorthand in the way that I communicate with actors I remember what felt like useful actionable direction to receive and how it felt to receive result oriented direction. It’s a skill you refine over time with experience.

I was really interested in so many aspects of the biz, and I was feeling like an actor’s life wasn’t the best fit for me as I neared graduation I met Michal Zecher then a Casting Director, now a manager, at Stonestreet my senior year (NYU’s screen acting studio) I told her I was interested in producing, directing, loved reading and writing, was passionate about the craft of acting, and she was like, “Sounds like you should be a Casting Director!” I had no idea it was a job I could even consider having She helped me get that internship at CBS I mentioned earlier, and the rest is history! I m very lucky to have wonderful mentors that have helped guide and support my career You were born and raised in LA, right? Do you come from a family of entertainers?

I’ve been passionate about the arts since I ve had a memory, and the resources LA had to offer growing up definitely helped enrich that My uncle was a comedian, and his best friend was Sammy Davis Jr They came up doing stand up together, and my uncle would often open for him when he toured In fact, I just found a cassette tape recording of a 15 minute set he did opening for Sammy at a casino in Vegas, it gave me the chills listening My other uncle was Sammy’s lawyer, so we definitely have showbiz by proxy in our blood I just found an amazing video on YouTube of him representing Sammy in his House Select Committee hearing on organized crime My grandma and grandpa owned a record store and were passionate about the music biz and my cousin Christie is a brilliant opera singer and performer too But most importantly my family has always been beyond supportive of my wacky creative endeavors and I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing without them.

CS | THE ZINE

" S O U N D S L I K E Y O U S H O U L D B E A C A S T I N G D I R E C T O R ! "

Tell me about the best day and the worst day at your first casting assistant job. Oh man! The best was my first day at my internship at CBS Primetime Casting in 2012 They had their interns run camera, which I didn’t know I would get to do It was my first experience peeking behind the curtain and seeing the elusive casting process firsthand I got to be a fly on the wall in the room, watch the actors work, and my new bosses give adjustments. It was such a special privilege, and that’s when I got the bug Worst was on one of my first jobs in independent casting A Casting Director and I were starting from scratch on the first day of a job, including needing an office space, all office supplies, etc I remember being so overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin to find a functional studio for us camera equipment you name it I ended up running quite literally, all over the city frantically gathering supplies, and walked like 30 blocks with a 15 foot backdrop rolled up hitting people as I turned corners, it was a mess

Interviewed by April Grier

What's the best advice you ever received from a seasoned casting director? Best advice is that we set the tone for the actors, and if we create a supportive, warm, enjoyable environment, the actors will feel comfortable to do their best work, be vulnerable, and collaborate open heartedly with us I really try to lead with kindness in all aspects of the job, that advice also carries over to the way we try to interact with agents producers directors, etc Staying calm, focused, organized and supportive allows everyone to do their best work It sounds witchy, but the energy you put out into the world really is the energy you get back

April Dawn Grier is a recent alum of the CSC Training and Education program She has a background in music education and teaches courses on music film and race at Rutgers University As an aspiring casting director, April is eager to explore career opportunities in television and film 4

FEATURED | KARLEE FOMALONT Karlee & BFF Rachel Brosnahan

This will be Team Casting’s 5th year participating, which raises funds to support the young people experiencing homelessness at Covenant House NY Over the years, Team Casting has raised about $50k! I also love participating in CSA Cares events and CSA Training and Education panels and classes. There are so many opportunities to both meet new actors, practice my craft, and give back at the same time, I try to always say yes when an event pops up! As a casting director, how do you exercise your creative muscle so to speak? By that I mean, how do you put your personal creative stamp on the casting projects you oversee? We always try to bring our taste and sensibility to our projects. Rori always says “work begets work,” and the kinds of projects we do tend to attract likeminded creatives to come our way

Karlee inherited this photo of Karlee’s uncle opening for Sammy in Vegas

We just love great actors with strong points of view, and working in NY is an embarrassment of riches on that front. We love great faces, people who feel real, and nuanced performances singular to the actor We try to approach casting like curating a beautiful mood board, you want different colors and flavors to round out the tapestry of the piece in the fullest and most dynamic way possible What do you wish more people knew about casting?

Working on great, boundary pushing projects with dynamic filmmakers with strong points of view, creatively exciting high concept TV projects and winning an OSCAR because they will have added a category for Casting in the Oscars by that point! ;)

That casting is a real craft that takes years of experience to develop and learn. There’s both a creative, and very logistical, side to our jobs, and we do so much more than just watch auditions We read scripts, write breakdowns, send offers, negotiate deals, do paperwork for all of those said deals, track production schedule changes, keep detailed and organized lists of actor availabilities, and so much more We’re a little bit of every department, a little directing, producing, writing, acting, AD ing, you name it, we dabble. And when it comes to the creative, our primary job is to fight for the best actor for the job and I really want actors to understand that we are long game allies for them in their careers, and here to help them succeed and showcase them in the best light

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What's the best advice you can give to me and my fellow CSC T & E Alums entering this world of casting? You never stop learning and growing in casting Stay curious and hungry Nurture your love for people and the things that make them unique. Familiarize yourself with actors, agents, and other players in the industry, especially in the market you ’ re working in. Keep lists of what you ’ re watching, write down the names of actors you ’ re excited about, use IMDB pro to look people up as you watch things See a ton of theater, go see live comedy, keep up on new shows coming out, go see independent films in theaters Being an active participant in the community is the best way to develop your own taste and eye How did you become involved with some of the philanthropic projects you spearhead? I'm thinking about the Covenant House Stage & Screen Sleep Out and Meals for Monologues? Giving back and staying engaged in the community is really important to me Two of my best friends, Rachel Brosnahan and Rachel Sussman, are on the Covenant House Stage & Screen Sleep Out board I always wanted to join the event when it was just for the Broadway community, and when it expanded out, they asked me to establish a casting presence in the program CS | THE ZINE5

Where do you see yourself professionally in the next five to ten years?

CastingiSociety n the News VARIETY Casting Society Collaborates With Easterseals Disability Film Challenge ★ link BAFTAS Arianna DeBose thanks Cindy Tolan in BAFTA acceptance speech ★ link VARIETY ‘Gilded Age’ Casting Directors: Season 2 Will Star Even More Tony Award Nominees and Winners ★ link USA TODAY 'Nepo babies' in Hollywood: What do famous families say about industry equity? ★ link VARIETY BAFTA's Casting Award to CINDY TOLAN for WESTSIDE STORY ★ link CASTINGNEWS Get To Know the Casting Director: Elizabeth Barnes ★ link / CASTING STORIES, THE ZINE / 6 SHADOW & ACT NBCU Launch Announces Its Casting Assistants For The '22 '23 Talent & Casting Assistant Program ★ link

Our latest Pa ss and we can't wait to see w g j y y ul facilitators who made these classes not only a learning experience but a personal experience for these students.

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Top to bottom, left to right): Washington (LA Area), Tangara Jones (Atlanta Area), London Short (DC/MD/VA Area), Kyle Fellerhoff (NY Area), Alex Amsellem (LA Area), Vivian Kwan (Vancouver Area)

For our available student list, how to donate to our student fund to make the classes free to all students or information about how you can become a facilitator, please email Katrina Wandel George at trainingandeducation@castingsocietycares.org.

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V O T E F O R T H E C A S T I N G S O C I E T Y ' S 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S ANTHONY PICHETTE We had a great conversation with our candidates for the 2022 23 Board of Directors! For those who couldn't make ithere is the link to the recording. The passcode is *8smm.BD MEET THE CANDIDATES VIDEO LINK 8 BRENT HAGATA CASSANDRA HAN DANNY CABEZA ERIN TOMASELLO ERYN GOODMAN KIMBERLY EHRLICH STEVEN TYLOR O'CONNOR

V O T E F O R T H E C A S T I N G S O C I E T Y ' S 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3 B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S There are two elections being held, one for the four open casting director seats on the Board of Directors and one for the two open associate casting director seats on the Board of Directors. CDs will be voting for CDs and Associates will be voting for Associates. The European Chapter Board election will be open only to the European Chapter and will be held at the end of June. 9 The 2022-23 Board of Directors election is OPEN! Like in previous years, we are using the website ELECTION BUDDY to hold our election. You should have received the PERSONALIZED LINK to your ballot via email directly from ELECTION BUDDY! IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE THE EMAIL WITH YOUR LINK, PLEASE FIRST CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS. IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE EMAIL FROM ELECTION BUDDY PLEASE EMAIL INFO@CASTINGSOCIETY.COM AND LAURA WILL SEND YOUR LINK. TIFFANY LITTLE CANFIELD WENDY KURTZMAN ZORA DEHORTER Let your voices be heard by VOTING!

Editor's Note In response to the suggestions from our members, the new readable font and some other tweaks are in this month's issue, Here are a few of my goals that come from merging what some of your favorite parts of the Newsletter were with the modern and clean look of the Zine Re imagining how Casting Society communicates with our membership Letting our members from the past, the present, and our future share what moves and excites them A truly delicious piece of creative inspiration with news interwoven into it A new feature I'm excited for you all to see is that each issue will have a cover story to spotlight a member the fun twist is one of our very own T & E Program alums will do the interview! So the perspective and questions are genuine, fresh, and fun! This month's alum, April Grier, (available for assistant work!) did an incredible job finding out what's special about Karlee! Happy Casting!

Caitlin D. Jones

Casting Stories | The Zine APRIL 2022